Team Gallagher crew members Andrew McCowan and James Blake have arrived in Sydney to begin final preparations for the launch of their Trans Tasman Rowing Project. They will be joined shortly by team leader Nigel Cherrie Thursday evening, fourth and final crewman Martin Berka on Sunday and team director Rob Hamill by Monday.

Their 10.5m-long boat, the Moana, is expected to arrive by the weekend, and will be stored near the project launch site on Sydney Harbour over the weekend.

The team have some work to do over the weekend, carrying out final checks and packing the food and spares before their departure.

“When we’re fully happy with how the boat is prepared, we will get a weather report from Dr Roger Badham who will tell us the best time to go,” says Cherrie. “It’s hard to predict when we’ll be underway but hopefully it will be no later than the weekend of 19/20 November, which is just enough to time to row the ditch before Christmas.”

Once underway, a map plotting their current position will be shown on the Team Gallagher website.

Photos, news and videos will be uploaded regularly to the site and their Facebook page.

Check out their latest video diary as they prepare for the big row: